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Updated on
August 29, 2008,
R.S.
asks from
Westfield, IN
on
August 27, 2008

Rash and Diarrhea Related to Teething?

My 10.5 mo. old son started at the babysitter's house two weeks ago when I went back to teaching. He developed a diaper rash and diarrhea during the first week that seems to come and go. At first we thought it was just the change of environment but he is still having issues. The doctor said that it is not from changing the brand of diaper and that it is probably a stomach bug but it has continued to be a problem longer than it should. She is following all of my instructions and uses the water, food, creams, etc that we supply. She says that teething could be the culprit. He responds well to cortisone cream but I don't want to have to resort to this long term. Could this diarrhea be from teething?

So What Happened?™

Thank you all very much for your kind words of encouragement and terrific advice. It is greatly appreciated. He is doing much better and the rash has pretty much gone away at this point. Now I'm just waiting for a tooth to pop through at any time!

Featured Answers

H.F.
answers from
Columbus
on
August 28, 2008

Oh my! I know what you are going through my daughter got a terrible diaper rash with every tooth she cut. I had never heard of it. But it seems that my husbands side of the family it happened to there kids too. My daughters ped. said it was possible. So he gave me steroid cream too. But he also told me i could mix aquaphor lotion and malox together. It is wonderful soothed her asap! The malox takes the acid away. I always have it on hand. I use it all the time for her butt rash.
hope it helps!
H. F

I don't remember my girls having this problem, but my baby boy had diarrhea for about 4 days and then his first tooth popped out. After that the runny poops tapered off. He got one tooth a week for a month and then a break. A couple of weeks later the diarrhea came back but wasn't as bad as the first bout. The next day two more teeth were showing through his gums. Hope you can keep him comfortable while going through this- good luck.

More Answers

R.E.
answers from
Mansfield
on
August 28, 2008

Hi R.,
I am a mother of three (8, 4 and 1) and all of my children had diarrhea and a rash while teething. For the most part it was after they were 6 months old. I just made sure not to give them any juice and lay low on fruits during this time,while giving them as much water or hydrating drinks as possible. I have also experienced with my kids long boughts of diarrhea due to a flu bug. Starting daycare can bring on all kinds of bugs, but the good thing is he will get immune to a lot more bugs being in daycare then if she wasn't. As long as he is still eating, drinking and not running a high fever I wouldn't worry. Just keep him hydrated and his bottom clean. Good luck!

Hi R.! I would call your docter. My Daughter had the same thing and it lasted for two weeks in our house and she did have four mollers coming in but, the docter said, it was a stomach virus. My daughter is 14 months and my other daughter who is 6 years old got the same thing the week after! I have used a cream called "boudeaux's butt paste" Its the best. and then I would but, a powder called " amnens" My daughter lucy who is 14 months had it really bad that she would scream when I changed her diaper! My sure the sitter pats is butt instead of wiping! I am a mother of three. 8,6, and 14 months. I have been married for 11 years and stay at home. Thanks H. H.

It sounds like your little one is going through what my little is just getting over. I too thought that my 11mo old had diarrhea from teething but it has been two weeks now and she is just now getting over it. I have talked to the doctors office twice and they told me that there is a yucky stomach virus going around. The only advice I have is too keep your baby on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) and lots of pedialyte. As far as the rash I put A&D ointment on first and then zinc oxide cream(paste) sometimes I even put plan vasaline on just to keep a good barrier. Good Luck

Hi R.,
I've heard so many times that they're not related, but I disagree. Our older one didn't have many problems ~ just the usual ones. Our 18 mo. old has problems every time she cuts a tooth. Diarhea, runny nose (clear), & sometimes a slight cough from the drainage. Our sitter (who has been watching kids for 17 years) agrees that they are related. Our little one just got over all that stuff at the end of last week & low & behold ~ there was a new tooth when she was done! Hang in there, I know it's so hard to see a little one suffer.
H.

My daughter always gets diarrhea and diaper rash when she cuts teeth. We just use lots and lots of the thick white Desitin. It helps a lot. Also, if the rash is really bad, we use warm water and a washcloth to clean her instead of wipes. The wipes seem to hurt when her bottom is really raw.

Doctors will tell you that teething does not cause fever, diarrhea/diaper rash, runny nose, etc.... but it's funny that each of my kids have had some or all of these symptoms while teething. I would look into his mouth and see if you see swollen gums or any teeth starting to poke through. :)

I am a mother of three wonderful children ages 2, 10, and 16. I have experienced the rash and loose bowls with each of my children when they were teething. The rash will appear all at once and looks very painful. My children never experienced any other symptoms and the rash and diarrhea fades away in a couple of days at most. I would worry if they did not act themselves but it rarely changed their mood.

My 6 yr. old would get diarrhea and runny nose when she was getting new teeth.

My 2 yr. old, started getting real BAD BAD diaper rash, and it stopped almost altogether when I stopped giving her juice. I don't give her juice at all anymore. She drinks either water or milk.
Occasionally she still gets real bad diaper rash, and I am not sure as to what causes it.

I have read a few articles where it said rash & diarrhea can be related to teething while others disagree. I know my dtr gets rash in her head everytime she teeths along w/ a high temp. I was worried @ first when it happened, took her to the Dr. & they put her on antibioticswhich did not help. My mom told it will resolve on its own once she stops teething & it did. Now she still gets small ones her & there but not in the whole head like she use to. I stay @ home w/ her & I know our home environment i extremely clean b/c both myself & my husband are neat freaks. So to ans your question I would say yes it is probably related to teething.

Hi R.! I'm sorry to hear that your little man isn't feeling up to par. The teething can definitely cause diarrhea, rash, and a runny nose -- not to mention, some crankiness from the pain of cutting teeth. Just do your best to keep him clean and dry. You're doing all the right things!! Good luck!

Hi R.!
I have a 10 month old daughter who is also teething. A couple of weeks ago, she had majorly bad diarrhea and immediately got a rash from it. It got so bad so fast and she'd cry when I'd clean her, I felt horrible. It lasted about 4 or 5 days. WIthin that time frame she also started rubbing her ears (not pulling, just rubbing them). I was concerned so I took her to the dr. Her ears were perfectly fine (thank goodness) and the dr said she probably just had a bug and that anytime this happened was to give her nothing but clear liquids (no formula or juice) just water or pedialite or popsicles. I have heard that the diarrhea can be caused by teething although the dr didn't think so. Are you letting him have juice or fruits? I cut those out completely with her while this was going on. I have always used diaper rash cream with the highest zinc oxide content that I could find. I bought Johnson & Johnson since it had the highest content and it seemed to work well pretty quickly. Also, "Butt Cream" seems to work well. You said it seemed to come & go but if it was going on longer than 2 weeks maybe call the dr again? My daughters only lasted about 4-5 days and her rash was cleared up within the last 2 days. I hope this helps! Best of luck to you! L.

My 15 month old son is going through the same thing, as is the 3 year old boy I take care of, AND the 2 year old boy of my own. They all get diarrhea when they are teething, run low-grade fevers, and sometimes even vomit a little. No one else gets these symptoms, and nothing makes it better (creams, medicine, etc.) which leads me to conclude it is teething.

My 15 month old son's diaper rash got so bad that he had open sores on his poor little bottom. However, I DID figure out that he was very sensitive to the new brand of diapers I had just switched to. I switched back to his regular diapers, and the rash lessened, but hasn't quite cleared up yet.

Our old pediatrician said "Teething doesn't cause anything except for teeth." Yeah, right! Needless to say, we no longer go to him. That, and other issues, led me to think he's an IDIOT!

Does ur son drink anything with red dye #40 in it? I found this to be the culprit of my sons constant diarrhea. He has an allergy to it.. Even now at almost 4 he's still sensitive to it. Mine got not diarrhea but more like flemmy poop like mucus like when they were teething.. but i did notice when I took him off the juice he was drinking he was cured.. Now i have to buy only yellow, green or blue juices or the dye free kool-aid or propel, powerade stuff like that. just an fyi, i never would have thought about it until my neighbor mentioned it to me.. good luck.
M.

Yes the rash and diarrhea can be related to teething. My twins would get go through this each time they began to get teeth.

Most likely the rash is b/c the diarrhea is "acidic" that it is burning the skin. What I found works best is to use a "cream" of aquaphor and malox mixed together. It works wonders on all types of diaper rashes.

My youngest dd usually got diarrhea when she was teething. The first time she got diarrhea, it was so bad that she got a yeast infection (raw bloody spots). I took her to the doctor who told me to use Lotrimin AF (for athlete's foot) to get rid of the rash. I had asked if she could be teething and was told she was too young to be teething (she was 5 months). A few days later, her first tooth popped through. Whenever she got diarrhea (and a runny nose), she usually had a tooth pop through.

My daughter got diarrhea from teething for like a month a lot of people said that ties together. She finally got her first tooth saturday. Now she got a cold i was wondering if it was related to teething

Could it be a yeast infection type of diaper rash? My youngest grandson was having a reoccuring diaper rash at other sisters and when I started his care he was getting them again. It didn't mtter what kind of creams or how much he was cleaned they kept coming back. I was the one who pointed out maybe it was yeast as soon as the doctor started him on the cream for this they have gotten less worse but everytime he hs diarrhea it comes back. He was teething when I first started watching him. He takes laxatives too and they help to make him break out. Ask about the yeast infection.

I don't remember my girls having this problem, but my baby boy had diarrhea for about 4 days and then his first tooth popped out. After that the runny poops tapered off. He got one tooth a week for a month and then a break. A couple of weeks later the diarrhea came back but wasn't as bad as the first bout. The next day two more teeth were showing through his gums. Hope you can keep him comfortable while going through this- good luck.

It could very well be from the teeth, my son would cut 3 or four at a time and would get a snotty nose, diarrhea, fevers, etc. Normally it would only last a few days but some symptoms can definitely linger.

I know a lot of people tell you to try the brat diet for diarrhea and steer clear of dairy, but per my pediatrician's advice I have had EXCELLENT results with yogurt. The active cultures help the digestive system return to its normal balance, whereas the applesauce part of the BRAT diet just makes no sense; apples are chalk full of fiber, they make you poop if your constipated.

My son's pediatrician was a fantastic doctor, he is in Kenya doing volunteer work and we had to switch, but he always told me, give him as much yogurt as he will eat. I know it will help!

Both of my kids got diarrea when they started to cut teeth. And because they had diarrea.....they got horrible diaper rash. The only thing that I found that worked was Flanders rash cream. You can get it at Wal Mart. It is similar to Boudreax's Butt Paste. My ped. told me it is not out of the ordinary for kids to get diarrea from teething. Good Luck. It did seem to not be as bad after the first couple of teeth.

I know many docs say diaper rash and teething do not go hand-in-hand, but I and many of my friends disagree. All three of mine had terrible diaper rashes while cutting teeth. Another OTC solution is to use olive oil. I buy a spray can of it and keep it with my diaper changing supplies. It works great! If the rash is really bad, I spray a light coat of olive oil on their bottom and then apply original Desitin. (I learned that olive oil has great healing effects for the skin through a vitamin and herb shop.) Goodluck!

Oh my! I know what you are going through my daughter got a terrible diaper rash with every tooth she cut. I had never heard of it. But it seems that my husbands side of the family it happened to there kids too. My daughters ped. said it was possible. So he gave me steroid cream too. But he also told me i could mix aquaphor lotion and malox together. It is wonderful soothed her asap! The malox takes the acid away. I always have it on hand. I use it all the time for her butt rash.
hope it helps!
H. F

I know my kids have had diarrhea due to teething in the past, but I will tell you another thing that we just went through. My two youngest children (ages 2 and 1) had what should have been a MINOR stomach bug. The problem was that even after they got better the diarrhea wouldn't go away. About three weeks into it I started looking for why. Everything else was fine. They were playing, eating, drinking, had no fever. Just diarrhea.

I learned on www.drsears.com that babies and young children can temporarily become lactose intollerant. After a minor virus the chemical balance in their intestines can cause them to be nable to process the lactose in dairy. It recommended changing to lactose free milk or formula temporarily to help releave the immediate problem and adding organic yogurt (like yobaby)with live cultures in it to their diet so that it could regulate their intestines. I tried and in about 3 days to a week we were all good.

If it doesn't go away after awhile you might give in a try.

Also for the diaper rash my ped recommeded a layer of lubriderm lotion, a layer of neosporin, and then a layer of the really thick old fashioned desitin. That worked like a dream, too.

I have heard that teething can cause diarrhea, but I have not experienced that. Did the Dr say anything about Shigella? I have never encountered this, but I saw on the news last night that there have been an unusually large number of cases this year. It is prominent in schools and daycares. Some of the symptoms are diarrhea and rash. I know that last year in the elementary schools they made a big deal about it, and are starting it up again this year. It might be something to ask the dr about.